A new report by the Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center paints an alarming picture of the future of livelihoods and the expansion of poverty in Iran. According to the state-run Siasat Rooz newspaper on July 27, “If the current trend continues, the poverty rate will increase from 41% in 2026 to 45.5% in 2028.” As a result, nearly half of the country’s population would be living below the poverty line. These figures are not merely economic indicators; they reflect conditions that many citizens experience through rising daily expenses, declining purchasing power, and increasing difficulty in meeting basic needs.
Poverty: From Official Statistics to People’s Daily Reality
The Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center emphasizes in its report that the expansion of poverty is not limited to declining household incomes. It identifies deteriorating educational quality, the gradual removal of healthcare services from household budgets, malnutrition, rising school dropout rates, increased child labor, and the expansion of social harms as among the most significant consequences of this trend.
The Value of the Rial on a Downward Slope: Direct Consequences of Pre-Crisis Policy Failures
The report also points to declining social optimism. Many families have been forced to eliminate part of their food basket. Some young people have postponed starting families, while many retirees face difficult choices between purchasing medication and paying housing costs. These examples illustrate that the livelihood crisis has gone beyond statistics and has become part of everyday life.
Rural Areas: A New Epicenter of the Livelihood Crisis
One of the report’s key sections focuses on rural areas. The Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center warns that poverty is increasing more rapidly in rural regions than in urban areas. This trend could have consequences extending well beyond declining rural incomes.
According to the state-run Siasat Rooz newspaper, “The continuation of this trend increases the likelihood of large-scale migration to cities, the expansion of informal settlements, declining rural populations, and the weakening of the agricultural sector. These developments could have broad economic and social consequences for the country’s structure.”
The Iranian Regime’s Parliamentary Report: A Critique of Policymaking
In another section, the report states that the roots of the livelihood crisis are not limited to sanctions or international conditions. The state-run Siasat Rooz newspaper writes: “In recent years, people’s livelihood and social issues have not been the top priority in policymaking, and no sustainable program has been implemented to curb poverty, strengthen the middle class, and improve public welfare.”
The report also emphasizes that although security tensions and regional conditions may intensify economic pressures, problems such as chronic inflation, declining purchasing power, reduced investment, and rising poverty already existed in Iran’s economy and cannot be attributed solely to recent developments.
The Erosion of the Middle Class and Growing Social Inequality
The report by the Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center warns that if current trends continue, not only will the number of people living below the poverty line increase, but the middle class will also be weakened further. The shrinking of the middle class could deepen economic inequality, reduce social capital, and increase public distrust.
The report concludes by emphasizing that if current trends persist, poverty will evolve from an economic challenge into a widespread crisis affecting social, cultural, and even security spheres. For this reason, the Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center describes these figures as a serious warning about the future of livelihoods and public welfare in Iran.
The report by the Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center presents a picture of conditions in which economic indicators are closely intertwined with the daily realities of many citizens. According to the report, rising living costs, declining purchasing power, and expanding poverty could become even more widespread if current trends continue, with significant consequences for the country’s economic and social structure.
